‘The Americans’ Season 1, Episode 8 Review – Everything Falls Apart

Since the series began, The Americans has been seeking an answer to the question of Philip and Elizabeth Jennings’ marriage, and just how, after nearly two decades, it stood up to the importance of the Cause and the commands issued to those recruited into Directorate S.

Briefly, it seemed as though matters of the heart – whether they were related to family or the love of an adopted country – would eventually win out over their commitment to the Cause. Philip and Elizabeth’s cozy union was threatening to become all too real and, with the emotional significance of nascent hitchhikers Paige and Henry thrown in for good measure, the total package that is the Jennings’ domestic bliss just might be something worth defecting over.

After a few days apart, it appeared that Elizabeth had finally come around after years of preferring the company of Gregory to that of her fake husband, and she was now ready to give Philip her all. Much of that likely had to do with Philip being away in New York doing all sorts of sordid things with Irina. But when pressed about it, Philip assured Elizabeth he only had eyes for her. His statement was convincing enough that by the time ‘Mutually Assured Destruction’ gets underway, the Jenningses are cuddling playfully in the kitchen when, months ago, such a movement by Philip would have been met with the flash of a knife blade and a hardened glance suggesting the term “wife” was little more than a four-letter word.

But successful domestic partnerships mean little to those running Directorate S – not when the U.S. is so close to developing an anti-ballistic missile shield. And as folks like Claudia (now demoted back to the title of “Granny“ after her role in kidnapping and torturing Philip and Elizabeth) know, these marriages are just a part of the job. “If you start to think of them as real, it doesn’t work,” she tells Elizabeth after dropping the bombshell that a West German assassin is on the loose with orders to kill top U.S. scientists. Even though the Russians have had a change of heart, they can’t seem to put the genie back in the bottle.

Seeing that Philip and Elizabeth have become something of a united front, Granny fills Mrs. Jennings in on exactly what her husband was up to while he was in New York – which demonstrates the fact that if it were as easy to destabilize entire nations as it is to upset the martial bond between two operatives, then Granny would have brought down the U.S. a few weeks after she left Stalingrad.

Considering just how long they’ve been playing house, it comes as a bit of a surprise that Philip mistakes Elizabeth’s cold gaze for “drinking [him] in,” but since he’s probably still wondering whether Son of Misha is really back in Russia or if Irina was just using that as a tool to complete her own mission, perhaps Philip can be forgiven for misinterpreting his wife’s nonverbal cues. But Elizabeth doesn’t keep the silent treatment up for long; there’s a question she wants answered, and to Philip’s credit, he does so honestly, even though he knows the consequences will bring about a quick end to the fulfillment of his long-held fantasy.

One wonders, then, would Stan Beeman be as forthcoming with the truth if Sandra asked him what all the late nights at the office were about?

With all the marital discord, the KGB’s underhanded manipulations and Agent Amador’s suspicion/stalking of Martha, it seems like everything is either falling apart or is on the verge of it. Which is why it’s nice to know that Philip and Elizabeth can still operate like a finely-tuned instrument when the job calls for it.

With little more to go on than a list of potential targets and a country of origin, the couple manages to track down the KGB’s assassin and terminate him with a little help from his own explosive device – but not before he uses a prostitute to help him slip a bomb inside an agent’s radio (if The Americans and House of Cards are anything to go by, soliciting a member of the D.C. working girl scene is as simple as sidling up to the bar in any four or five-star hotel within walking distance of the Capitol building).

In the end, Philip and Elizabeth agree to disagree on the success or failure of their latest impossible task – which is pretty much sums up the state of their marriage as a whole.

The Americans continues on Wednesday, April 3 with ‘Safe House’ @10pm on FX. Check out a preview below:

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Tundrabeast 1 year ago

Man I hope the lack of posts is no indication of the show not doing well. I think the show is even better that Homeland because of all the twist and turns. Good writting and plots. I really like the show.

One problem with the Philip and Elizabeth story at this time of their deployment….The childern. In the last scene you see her going around tucking the kids in bed. Regardless if they’re supposedd to be a pretend family….They have kids between them and that makes it pretty tough to be totally detached as a unit. Then too. If she’s so loyal to the Soviets…..Doesn’t she ever ask herself what it’d be like if suddenly they had to become Russians in the home land? I’m sure Philip has. I would think the Soviet would have made them use protection so they didn’t have childern for that very reason. Once there’s kids involved that could change loyalties in a heartbeat.

Originally I was kinda turned off with how Phillip and Liz were at odds one moment but madly in love the next. But then I thought about how likely that would be exactly how a faux marriage between spies would be. Kudos to this amazing show.

The show is interesting in how it’s juggling multiple dynamics among all the characters.

Although I saw the Beeman adultery coming, it’s not very believable to me considering his wife is no slouch and he’s supposed to be of high moral and ethical character. I do think Nina is playing him just like she played the Rezident.

Elizabeth is so hot and cold it’s a bit irritating. Has anyone noticed that she’s the one who has done most of the killing?

It’s strange that I find myself rooting for the “enemy” and while it would be convenient for them to be turned by Beeman to become double agents, I hope that doesn’t happen for a while.

I too have been wondering if she’s another layer in the spy game. Like her getting caught in the first place was a set up. I’m just not too sure there’d be a big pay off with info coming from the FBI…..Then again if she’s added sex to the game I’m guessing there’d be enough info coming back as too how close they are to discovering Soviet plants.

I just love the suspense of trying to figure all the spy games going on. Best damn series in a long time.

In reference to your comment about Elizabeth being hot & cold. It’s very understandable why she’s like this. She’s a woman in the KGB who when she was training was raped by a senior officer. There has been no sign (yet maybe) about any sort of love in her life before the KGB whereas Phillip had Irina. For this reason I feel she’s struggling to love and be loved (an exception being the children of course). She’s not at a point where she can completely let herself be open and let down her walls in order to trust Phillip even after him telling her he didn’t want to lose her.